Employers will be required to prepare a "silica hazard control statement" and obtain a special licence under proposed Victorian regulations affecting four sectors and 24 sub-industries. Meanwhile, tighter workplace exposure thresholds, including for diesel emissions, take effect in NSW next week.
A timely study, given the need to deep clean workplaces during the COVID-19 pandemic, has re-emphasised the strong link between occupational disinfectant use and developing asthma. Meanwhile, researchers have warned of overlooked risks faced by workers handling fruit and vegetables.
A national industry body has vowed to improve safety and eliminate workplace s-xual harassment in the Australian mining sector, including through an industry code against the "illegal behaviour".
A worker has been permitted to pursue a claim that her employer unfairly dismissed her by placing her on indefinite unpaid leave for declining to receive a flu vaccination, which the employer mandated for the COVID-19 pandemic.
> Tougher worker health surveillance rules applied in WA; > International Standard for work-related safety signs released; and > Female injury rate and pandemic show need for WHS change: ACTU.
Wearing face masks is a critical safety measure for protecting workers from COVID-19, but some are causing wearers a "new subtype of headache", according to Spanish researchers.
The International Organisation for Standardisation has released an OHS Standard, available for free in a read-only format, on working safely during the COVID-19 pandemic. The document includes practical guidance on protecting employees as they return to their usual workplaces under easing pandemic restrictions.
Work health and wellbeing strategies that address "whole person health" and support social connectiveness will be major investment focuses for employers over the next 12 months, a survey of WHS and HR managers has found.
